A scene from a public service announcement aired in central Virginia in February encouraged people to share their reactions to the terrorist attacks and seek professional help if necessary.An estimated 620,000 people in central Virginia saw public service announcements (PSAs) about posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on local television last November. The two 30-second announcements were developed by the Psychiatric Society of Virginia after September 11 in conjunction with an NBC affiliate station in Fredericksburg, Va.
The PSAs were aired every day in February during the Winter Olympics and were seen by about 65 percent of the adult population in central Virginia, most of whom live only about a one-hour or two-hour drive from the Pentagon, said Ram Shenoy, M.D., in an interview. Shenoy is a past president of the Psychiatric Society of Virginia.
The society received a grant from the American Psychiatric Foundation after September 11 to develop a public-education program on PTSD, said Shenoy.
“The first PSA showed an adult couple engaged in conversation over coffee on their back porch. Our message was that psychiatric symptoms of PTSD, such as fear, may be invisible but can disrupt lives. We encouraged adults to talk to friends or family members and seek professional help if necessary,” said Shenoy
The second PSA showed children playing basketball, with the message that since September 11, children might view the world differently and be concerned about their safety. Parents may notice that their children have trouble sleeping or aren’t acting themselves, he said. “We encouraged parents to talk to their children about what they are feeling and mentioned that teachers, counselors, and other professionals can help.”
The society also developed a Web page describing the signs and treatment of psychological trauma that viewers could access through the television station’s Web site. The page received 187,874 hits while the PSAs ran, Shenoy noted.
On the six-month anniversary of September 11, four members of the Psychiatric Society of Virginia participated in a call-in panel at the station to answer viewers’ questions and address their concerns, said Shenoy.
“Many of the 120 callers talked about their fear of flying in airplanes, since the two passenger planes that crashed into the twin towers had been hijacked by terrorists. Children who saw the images on television were afraid that their school or home could be hit by planes,” said Shenoy.
“We listened and reassured callers that flying in an airplane was as safe as driving a car. We also explained that it was unlikely, though not impossible, that their homes or neighborhoods would be directly hit by terrorists,” he added.
The society hosted a town-hall meeting on September 5 with school counselors, parents of school children, and trauma victims. The topic was how children react to trauma, and the show was hosted by a local television personality. The society plans to distribute it to local schools and the public.
On the one-year anniversary of September 11, the society will host another televised call-in show, added Shenoy. ▪
The events of September 11 provided an opportunity to educate the public about trauma-related symptoms. One district branch initiated several projects with the help of a local television station.
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